Another weekend is upon us as officially summer begins this weekend. Here in Ohio, we are preparing for our first heat wave of the season with temperatures forecast to be in the low-to-mid 90s with heat indexes over 100. In other words, it will be hot.
As far as the Grand Ole Opry this weekend, both shows offer solid lineups with a few artists that we haven't seen at the Opry in a while.
Starting with the Friday Night Opry, Grand Ole Opry members John Conlee, Dailey & Vincent, The Isaacs and Riders In The Sky headline the schedule. Very frequent Opry guest Charles Esten is also listed, as is Sam Williams, The McCrary Sisters and making her Opry debut, Lauren Watkins.
Taking a look at the lineup for Saturday night, Opry members Bill Anderson, T. Graham Brown, Don Schlitz and Connie Smith are scheduled. Where else can you see and hear three members of the Country Music Hall of Fame other than at the Opry?
Chonda Pierce used to make a steady number of Opry appearances. Over the past several years, her appearances have diminished but I am very happy to say that she is back on Saturday night. Opry NextStage artists Tigirlily Gold is scheduled, as is Johnny & The Yooahoos, who will be making their Opry debut.
Friday June 20
7:00: Dailey & Vincent, Sam Williams, John Conlee, The McCrary Sisters
Intermission
8:20: Riders In The Sky, Lauren Watkins, Charles Esten, The Isaacs
Saturday June 21
7:00: Opry Square Dancers, T. Graham Brown, Tigirlily Gold, Bill Anderson, Johnny & The Yooahoos
Intermission
8:20: Connie Smith, Opry Square Dancers, Chonda Pierce, Don Schlitz
(As I am always reminded, lineups are subject to change)
Lauren Watkins received the surprise of a lifetime on Friday night (5/16), while on tour with Zach Top. On his Cold Beer and Country Music Tour stop in Indianapolis, Ind., the Big Loud Records songbird was invited back to the stage by Top to perform a cover of Barbara Mandrell's “I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool” during his headlining set. After the performance, Top asked Watkins if she'd like to make her Grand Ole Opry debut on Friday, June 20, 2025, a milestone Watkins has been dreaming of her whole life growing up in Nashville, Tenn.
“Playing the Grand Ole Opry has been at the top of my bucket list for as long as I can remember,” shares Watkins. “Growing up in Nashville, I first went as a kid. To this day, I still have the same feeling of respect and awe as when I first sat in the crowd and listened to the music. It's one of those things I don't know if I'll ever feel 'worthy' of doing, but I am so proud to have the invite and I can't wait to step into that circle."
Johnny & the Yooahoos were winners of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) International Band Grant, and now they’re set for a five-week tour across the USA in summer 2025, with performances at iconic venues like the Grand Ole Opry, High Sierra Music Festival, and the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival. They first took to the stages of southern Germany in 2018. Since then, the band has brought their signature sound to festivals across Germany, France, Ireland, Holland, Austria, and Switzerland.
Musically, the Yooahoos have stayed true to their roots. With purely acoustic banjo, mandolin, guitar, double bass, and rich three-part harmonies, they continue to celebrate American folk music in their own unique way. Blending traditional bluegrass with contemporary folk, their sound is both raw and refined—somewhere between urban energy and rural charm, nostalgia and modern storytelling.
This week the Opry 100 Spotlight shines on Roy Drusky.
Roy joined the Grand Ole Opry in June 1959 and remained a member of the Opry until his death on September 24, 2004.
Here is how he was remembered by The Tennessean upon his death:
Country music performer Roy Drusky, whose smooth baritone was part of the Grand Ole Opry for 46 years, died yesterday at the Highland Manor Nursing Home in Portland, Tenn. He was 74 years old and had battled emphysema for many years. "I've always felt that Roy Drusky was the Perry Como of the Grand Ole Opry," said WSM-AM air personality and Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs. "His style of singing some would deem him to be a crooner is a wonderful sound, the likes of which we rarely hear any more in country music."
During his 50-year musical career, Mr. Drusky recorded more than 50 albums, scored at least 10 No.1 hits and acted in three movies. He last performed on the Opry in June 2003. "I know I have heard him say many times how proud he was to be a member of the Opry," said son Tad Drusky.
Born in Atlanta in 1930, Mr. Drusky spent his youth infatuated not with music but with baseball. He learned to play guitar while in the U.S. Navy, and he began working as a disc jockey in Decatur, Ga., after a failed tryout with the Cleveland Indians. At that station, he engineered the first recording session of future Hall of Fame artist Bill Anderson (who would later pen Drusky's 1963 novelty hit Peel Me a Nanner).
In 1953 Mr. Drusky began his recording career, though in 1955 he moved to Minneapolis to work as a disc jockey and as a club performer. His big break came three years later, when Faron Young's version of the Drusky-penned Alone With You dominated the country charts for 13 straight weeks. Mr. Drusky then moved to Nashville, signing with Decca Records and releasing his first major solo hit in 1960 with Another. Other hits followed, including Yes, Mr. Peters (his first No. 1 hit, recorded as a duet with Priscilla Mitchell), White Lightnin' Express, Where the Blue and Lonely Go and Long Long Texas Road.
Raised in a Baptist Church, Mr. Drusky became Seventh Day Adventist in 1980. After that, he would no longer sing some of his secular hits, and he would not perform between sundown on Friday and sundown on Saturday (he would often perform on one of the Opry's late Saturday night slots). "I admired him for his convictions," said Bill Anderson, who called his old friend "a gentle soul."
Stubbs, who will serve as host for a Roy Drusky tribute show next week on WSM-AM, said Drusky's smooth persona was the same whether onstage or off. "He had so much class when he performed, and he was always the same wherever you saw him, whether it was in a shopping mall or on the Opry. He was a very gentle man, and very much a gentleman."
Mr. Drusky is survived by wife Bobbye of Portland; sons, Tad Drusky of Gallatin, Roy "Twig" Drusky III of Portland and Tip Drusky of Pensacola, Fla.; and four grandchildren.
Mr. Drusky's remains will be cremated. A memorial service will be 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3, in Highland Seventh-day Adventist Church on Highway 109, just outside Portland.
I always thought Roy had one of the smoothest voices in country music and I always enjoyed him singing his classic ballads. Some of his hits were named in that obituary, but among others were "Second Hand Rose," "All My Friends Are Going To Be Strangers," "Jody and the Kid," "Red Red Wine," and "Satisfied Mind."
Roy Drusky is another of those country music stars, and Opry member, who has been largely forgotten but left a lasting impact on country music. His music is timeless and like so many others, his smooth sound is missed on the Opry even today.
As mentioned, his final Opry performance took place in June 2003, the exact date being June 21st when he appeared on the 2nd show that night, after sundown. Here is the running order from that show 22 years ago:
9:30: Coca-Cola
Hal Ketchum (host): The Point Of Rescue
Connie Smith: Ribbon Of Darkness/I'm Looking For A Reason Not To Love You
BR-549: She Ain't Talking To Me/Shotgun Boogie
Hal Ketchum: Dreams Of Martina
10:00: Shotgun Red.com
Porter Wagoner (host): Y'all Come
Roy Drusky: Have I Stayed Away Too Long
Jimmy C Newman: Cajun's Dream
Steve Azar: The End Of Indianola/Hey Baby
Porter Wagoner: Green, Green Grass Of Home
10:30: WSMonline.com
Jean Shepard (host): Head Over Heels In Love With You
The Whites: Move It On Over
Oak Ridge Boys: I'm Glory Bound/Colors
Opry Square Dance Band: Cherokee Shuffle
11:00: Singular Wireless
Brad Paisley (host): Celebrity
Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys: Fiddle Patch
Billy Yates: Country
Mandy Barnett: No One Will Ever Know/Faded Love
Brad Paisley & Billy Yates: Farther Along
11:30: Opry.com
Jeannie Seely (host): Anytime
Ray Pillow: That Ain't No Way To Treat My Heart/I Wonder Who's Missing You Now
Miranda Lambert: Honky Tonk Blues/The Greyhound Bound For Nowhere
Jeannie Seely: One Step Away From Coming Home
There you have it for this week. As always, thanks for reading and commenting and I hope everyone enjoys the Grand Ole Opry this weekend.
Roy was (and is) always one of my Opry favorites. The very first time that I attended the Opry (July 1988), Roy was on Hank Snow's portion during the second show. He sang "The Last Farewell" which is a song that I love very much. Roy's version is beautiful. I was blessed to see him on stage several more times before he passed. He had a wonderful voice, and, in my opinion, has been greatly overlooked in his contributions to country music.
ReplyDeleteLet me talk about Roy Drusky. He had a beautiful voice, and I think it's kind of sad that he is associated primarily with the song "Feed Me a 'Nanner, Toss Me a Peanut!"
DeleteSinging sure seemed to come naturally for Roy. He never missed a note.
And he WAS overlooked.
Nat, I agree - Roy had a natural singing ability. He could take just about any song from any genre and make it his own. Red, Red Wine (I love Roy's version better than Neil Diamond's) is a good example. And, I think "Peel Me a Nanner" gets a bad wrap. Even Whisperin' Bill says that was the worst song he ever wrote. That may be true, but it's really not a bad song. Maybe a little silly, but we've all heard much, much worse country songs than that little ditty.
DeleteI am really not a fan of email, texts and the written word in forums like this. I even dislike it more when dealing on a personal level with a friend or loved one. No voice tone, facial expression or mannerisms to give it real context. That said, Nat, this is not a harsh rebuttal to your comments about "Nanner". The thing I will say about it being the one song that gets the most attention for Roy is that Bill sings it and mentions that Roy did it. If it were not for that song, Roy's name would never be mentioned on the Opry these days and probably won't again after Bill is not longer able to do the song.
DeleteRoy did several albums for for Decca, Mercury and Capitol in that order and smaller labels after the mid 70's. He had 14 top ten hits with his only number one being Yes Mr. Peters with Priscilla Mitchell (Mrs. Jerry Reed) in 1965. Nanner made #8 in 63. I always liked Rainbows and Roses, Weakness in a Man, Jody and the Kid, and Long Long Texas Road among so many others. As kids, dad had 45's of Anymore and Three Hearts in a Tangle so we were exposed to Roy from the beginning! You'll recall he often did If the Whole World Stopped Lovin' on the Opry in later days and that was a #12 song in 1966.
Anyone recall him doing Sweethearts in Heaven with Jean Sheppard on the Opry October 12, 1985?
We saw him at the Opry one time and he along with Ray Pillow are two of our favorites we never got to meet. It is unfortunate that folks like Roy will fade into the background and largely be forgotten as time marches on. Our local radio station that used to be here in Brazil, Indiana had call letters WWCM and in the 60's and 70's they said those letters stood for Wide World of Country Music. That world would have been a lot narrower were it not for people like Roy Drusky, Billy Walker, Charlie Walker, Stonewall Jackson, Ray Pillow, Marion Worth, and countless other non superstars making music that was as good or better than what the superstars did.
Thanks for remembering Roy Bryon.
Jim
Knightsville IN
In my collection I have some 45s of duets that Roy did with Kitty Wells.
DeleteJim, I always enjoy your posts. When Roy started( like the others you mentioned) the business looked for longevity instead of the next big thing. I was real close to Bill Phillips,who had his hits in the 1960s, he still toured until the 1990s. He had a stroke and after he recovered he would get the hiccups and he never knew when they would hit, so he decided to retire. He had a great long career even though he didn't have a ton of number one hits. Even after his retirement he still would have CDs made and he always sold out of them. The fans and the business were different in those days and I doubt a lot of these artists today are going to have careers that last as long as Roy Drusky, Bill Phillips, Kitty Wells,Jean Shepard, etc
P.S. I had an uncle who was a member of the Seventh Day Adventist denomination, so I was familiar with how they observed the Sabbath. It seemed to be the case that, when Roy performed at the Opry during the Summer (the only times I attended the Opry), he was always on the 6:30 or 7:00 segments on Friday and then on any of the segments from 8:30 till the closing segment on Saturday. He seemed to be very devout in his Sabbath observance.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure Roy hosted the Ernest Tubb Midnite Jamboree that night too. I remember that Billy Yates was his guest that night.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I’ve only ever heard of Roy Drusky because of you Byron. I have to say, though I am extremely excited for this evening because I will be seeing opry star Vince Gill on his summer tour that you have highlighted Byron. I am so excited. Ez
ReplyDelete